Domestic appliance having a swiveled display screen

ABSTRACT

A domestic appliance, for example a refrigerator, comprising a housing, a recess in the housing and a display screen which can be swiveled relative to the housing and is disposed flush in the recess of the housing. The display screen is linked on its back with a pair of first arms so as to be rotatable about a first axis of rotation. The first arms can be extended from an expanded configuration in the flush arrangement of the display screen to an angular configuration. In this angular configuration the at least one, first axis of rotation is displaced beyond the recess, thereby allowing swiveling the display screen about the first axis of rotation.

The present invention relates to a domestic appliance comprising ahousing, a recess in the housing and a display screen which can beswivelled relative to the housing. In a flush position the displayscreen is disposed in the recess of the housing.

A domestic appliance of this type is known from JP 2002-031469 A. Thisdocument discloses a refrigerator comprising a display screen 10 whichis fixed in a recess 22 of a door 2. The display screen 10 is mounted bymeans of pins 22 in holes 22a so that it can tilt about a horizontalaxis of rotation. Spring-loaded locating means 12, 16 are provided onthe display screen 10 for locking the display screen 10 in various tiltpositions, these locating means being guided in a groove 22b of therecess 22 and being capable of engaging in recesses 23 in various tiltpositions of the display screen 10. The display screen 10 can be broughtfrom a recessed position in the recess 22 into two further tiltpositions in which the display screen 10 can be locked. A disadvantagewith this design however is that the angle through which the displayscreen 10 can be swivelled out from its recessed position is very small.The display screen can therefore only be aligned towards to the user toa limited extent.

It is thus the object of the present invention to provide a domesticappliance of the type specified initially in which the display screencan be swivelled in a wide angular range.

The object is achieved with a domestic appliance according to theclaims. The dependent claims relate to preferred embodiments.

Accordingly, a domestic appliance is provided comprising a housing, arecess in the housing and a display screen which can be swivelledrelative to the housing and is disposed in a recess in the housing in aflush position. In this case, at least one axis of rotation on which thedisplay screen is suspended can be moved between a position in which itholds the display screen in the flush position and an extended positionin which it extends in front of the recess and the display screen canrotate about the axis of rotation. In the extended position, a highdegree of freedom for swivelling movement of the display screen aboutthe axis of rotation can easily be achieved.

As a result of a first embodiment, the domestic appliance comprises afirst pair of arms to which the display screen is connected on its rearside so that it can rotate about the at least one first axis ofrotation, wherein the first arms can be extended from a splayedconfiguration in the flush position of the display screen into a angularconfiguration which corresponds to the extended position of the at leastone first axis of rotation.

The domestic appliance preferably comprises a pair of second arms, eachof the two second arms being connected in an articulated fashion torespectively one of the first arms and a position of the domesticappliance adjacent to the recess. The first arms are thus fixed to thedomestic appliance not directly but indirectly via the second arms.

In the domestic appliance according to the invention, the first arms andthe second arms are preferably embodied as plates. This imparts a highstiffness to the construction. In addition, the plates can be connectedto one another or to the display screen and the domestic appliance bymeans of simple hinges. The first arms preferably each have the samelength and the second arms each have the same length.

Alternatively to fixing the first arms indirectly to the domesticappliance by means of the second arms described previously, it is alsopossible to mount the first arms such that they can each be displaced intheir longitudinal direction on a shaft, the shaft being disposedrotatably on the domestic appliance at a position adjacent to therecess. This design in the same way as that by means of the second arms,allows the first arms to be transferred from the splayed configurationdescribed into the angular configuration in order to move and tilt thedisplay screen from the recess.

The display screen preferably has no freedom of swivelling movement inits flush position in the recess.

In the splayed configuration in which the display screen is located inits flush position in the recess, the first arms preferably enclose anangle of about 150° to about 180°. The advantage of this is that in theflush position of the display screen, the first arms thus only occupy asmall depth so that the entire configuration can be configured as veryflat.

In the domestic appliance according to the invention, the display screenis preferably connected to the two first arms by means of a single firstaxis of rotation, i.e. the two first arms meet one another on the firstaxis of rotation. In this case, the first axis of rotation is preferablyarranged centrally with respect to the width of the display screen.

The axes of rotation about which the first arms and, if these arepresent, the second arms can rotate preferably run parallel to oneanother. Furthermore, these axes of rotation are preferably verticallyarranged so that the display screen can be tilted about a vertical axisof rotation. This makes it possible to align the display screen to theleft or right towards an observer who is not located directly in frontof the display screen but to the side of said screen.

The domestic appliance according to the invention preferably has stopswhich are arranged so that they face one another on the first arms andcome to abut against one another in the angular configuration of thefirst arms. A minimum adjustable angle between the first arms isdetermined by the stops. The stops preferably have sloping surfaceswhich abut against one another in the angular configuration.

The domestic appliance preferably has friction brakes which brake arotating movement of the first arms and/or the display screen about thefirst axis of rotation, The friction brakes have the effect that thedisplay screen stays in the position set by the user and is notdisplaced by itself. Each brake disk preferably comprises brake disksmounted on a pin of the first arms which clamp a flange of the displayscreen perpendicular to a first axis of rotation. The pin is preferablyguided in a groove of the flange and can be located on one of the stopsdescribed previously.

A part of the housing of the domestic appliance according to theinvention is preferably formed by a frame which is detachably fixed tothe domestic appliance in which the recess for the display screen islocated and on the rear side of which the second arms are affixed in anarticulated fashion or the shafts are rotatably affixed. This simplifiesthe mounting of the display screen on the domestic appliance. Thedisplay screen can be initially mounted on the frame before this isfixed to the domestic appliance. The frame can easily be removedtogether with the display screen for maintenance and repair purposes.The frame is preferably affixed to a flap or a door of the domesticappliance which serves to close or open the domestic appliance.

The domestic appliance according to the invention preferably comprises arefrigeration device, for example, a refrigerator. The display screencan display information on the refrigeration device itself, such as itsmodel designation or information on its operating parameters such as,for example, the temperature in an interior compartment of therefrigeration device. In addition, the display screen can also serve asa PC or television screen.

Further embodiments and advantages of the present invention areexplained hereinafter with reference to a first embodiment of thepresent invention according to the appended FIGS. 1 to 9 and a secondembodiment of the present invention according to FIGS. 10 and 11. In thefigures:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a display screen 5 of a refrigerationdevice withdrawn from a recess 3 according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a view from the same perspective as FIG. 1 wherein the displayscreen 5 is located in an almost flush position in the recess 3;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the display screen 5 and a frame 2,wherein the display screen 5 is located in a flush position in therecess 3;

FIG. 4 is a view from the same perspective as FIG. 1 wherein the displayscreen 5 is located in a position swivelled to the right;

FIG. 5 is a view from the same perspective as FIG. 3 wherein the displayscreen 5 is located in the same swivelled-out position as in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of the display screen 5 and theframe 2 in a flush position in the recess 3 according to FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is the same sectional view as FIG. 6 wherein the display screen 5is located in a position where it has been moved out of the recess 3 orswivelled;

FIG. 8 is the same sectional view as FIG. 6 wherein the display screen 5is located in a further position where it has been moved out of therecess 3 or swivelled;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view through the friction brake 40 according toA-A in FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a schematic rear view of a display screen 5 of arefrigeration device according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention, wherein the display screen 5 is located in a flush positionin a recess 3 of a frame 2;

FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view of the display screen 5 from FIG.10 which has been moved or swivelled out of the recess 3.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective part view of a front part 1 of a door of adomestic appliance which, for example, can be a refrigerator. The doorin turn forms a part of a housing enclosing an interior compartment ofthe domestic appliance. In the view shown in FIG. 1 the interiorcompartment is located behind the front part 1 shown. The front part 1comprises a flat frame 2 which has a central rectangular recess 3. Theframe 2 is affixed to the door, for example, by means of a screwconnection. Furthermore, the domestic appliance comprises a flat displayscreen 5 which is fixed to the frame 2 by means of a pair of first arms6 and 6′ and a pair of second arms 10 and 10′. In the view shown the arm10 is mostly covered by the frame 2. The first and second arms 6, 6′ and10, 10′ are constructed as plates. In FIG. 1 the display screen 5 islocated in a position where it is moved out of the recess 3 whereas FIG.2 shows the display screen 5 in a position almost flush in the recess 3from the same perspective as FIG. 1. Small gaps between outer edges 12of the display screen 5 and edges 13 of the recess 3 can be identifiedin FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 shows a rear perspective view of the frame 2. For mounting theframe 2 on the door front part 1, said frame is first placed withnotches 15 on lateral strips 14 on corresponding holders not shown onthe door front part 1. The frame 2 is then fixed by means of a screw notshown which is inserted through a recess 17 and through a hole 16 on theframe 2 and screwed into an internal thread not shown on the door frontpart 1. In FIG. 3 the display screen 5 is located in a completelyrecessed position in the recess 3 in which the front of the displayscreen 5 is flush with the frame 2. On its rear side the display screen5 has a rear wall 18 on which a mounting plate 20 is mounted, this beingpartly covered by the first arms 6, 6′ however in the view shown. Themounting plate 20 comprises a main plate 21 parallel to the rear wall 18of the display screen 5 which can be seen better from FIG. 5 as well asan upper flange 22 and a lower flange 23 which both project horizontallyfrom the main plate 21. Returning to FIG. 3, the flanges 22 and 23 areconstructed as strips. A handle 19 of the display screen 5 rests on theupper flange 22 and is fixed to said flange by suitable means, forexample, locating means or screws. Furthermore, the mounting plate 20comprises two feet 24 which extend downwards from the main plate 21.

As FIG. 3 further shows, the first arms 6 and 6′ are connected to oneanother in an articulated fashion at respectively one end 7, 7′ by meansof a first hinge 27. The hinge 27 comprises a vertically aligned pin 28which is held in holes of the flanges 22, 23. Thus, the first arms 6 and6′ are not only connected to one another but also to the mounting plate20 and therefore to the display screen 5 in an articulated fashion. Thepin 28 defines a first vertically aligned axis of rotation 29 aboutwhich the first arms 6 and 6′ and the display screen 5 can be rotated.The pin 28 or the axis of rotation 29 are arranged centrally to thedisplay screen 5 with regard to the width of the display screen 5. Theother ends 8, 8′ of the first arms 6 and 6′ are connected in anarticulated fashion by means of second hinges 30 and 30′ to respectivelyone end of the second arms 10 and 10′ rotatably via respectively secondaxes of rotation 31, 31′. The other ends of the second arms 10 and 10′are fixed in an articulated fashion on strips 35, 35′ of the frame 2 bymeans of third hinges 32, 32′ so that they can each rotate about a thirdaxis of rotation 33, 33′. The second axes of rotation 31, 31′ and thethird axes of rotation 33, 33′ run parallel to the first axis ofrotation 29, i.e. they are also vertically aligned in the same way asthe first axis of rotation 29. The entire structure shown in FIG. 3 isconstructed mirror-symmetrically with respect to a vertical plane whichintersects the display screen 5 centrally. That is, in particular, thefirst arms 6 and 6′ have the same dimensions amongst one another andalso the second arms 10 and 10′ have the same dimensions amongst oneanother. At the same time, the plates forming the first arms 6, 6′ havea substantially greater length in the horizontal direction than theplates forming the second arms 10, 10′.

As a result of the articulated connections of the display screen 5, thefirst arms 6 and 6′, and the second arms 10 and 10′ to the frame 2,which have been described, the display screen 5 can be withdrawn andswivelled from the flush position shown in FIG. 3, which is shown inFIGS. 6 to 8 in schematic diagrams of a horizontal plane ofintersection. In FIG. 6, as is also shown in FIG. 3, the display screen5 is located in the completely flush position in the recess 3 of theframe 2. In this flush position the second hinges 30, 30′ abut withtheir axes of rotation 31, 31′ respectively against obliquely positionedstop strips 34, 34′ located on the rear side of the frame 2. The displayscreen 5 thus cannot be displaced further into the frame 2 beyond theposition shown in FIG. 6, i.e. no further upwards in the view shown.FIG. 3 shows the stop strip 34′ in the rear view of the frame 2. In theflush position shown in FIG. 6, the display screen 5 has no freedom ofswivelling movement about the first axis of rotation 29. The first arms6 and 6′ are located in a splayed configuration in which they occupy amaximum possible angle α_(max) of, for example, about 150° to 180° withrespect to one another. The first and second arms 6, 6′, 10, 10′ eachspan an acute angle β at the second hinges 30, 30′. This angle β shouldbe at least 5°, better at least 10° or even 15° since if the angle β istoo small, the tensile force which must be exerted on the display screento overcome the friction of the hinges 29, 30, 30′, 33, 33′ and move theaxis 29 out from the recess 3 of the frame 2 becomes very large.

By pulling on the display screen 5 with a force F which acts centrallyon the display screen 5 indicated in FIG. 6, the display screen 5 can bebrought from the flush position in FIG. 6 into the moved-out positionshown by continuous lines in FIG. 7 in which the display screen 5 islocated in front of the recess 3 approximately parallel to the frame 2.In this case, the first arms 6 and 6′ are turned about the first axis ofrotation 29 and thereby brought from the splayed configuration in FIG. 6into an angular configuration. In this configuration in the exemplaryembodiment shown in FIG. 6 the first arms 6 and 6′ occupy an angle a ofabout 100° with respect to one another. At the same time, the first axisof rotation 29 is moved out over the recess 3. In this moved-outposition it is now possible for the display screen 5 to be swivelledabout the first axis of rotation 29 as shown by the dashed lines in FIG.7 by the operator pulling on one of the outer edges 12 of the displayscreen, in this case the left outer edge 12. The display screen 5 canthus be aligned towards an observer located to the right of the recess3.

As shown in FIG. 8, the display screen 5 can be moved via the positionshown in FIG. 7 further over the frame 2 into an end position. In thisend position the second arms 10, 10′ come to rest against the rear sideof the frame 2. The second arms 10, 10′ thus cannot be swivelled anyfurther about the third axes of rotation 33, 33′. In addition, stops 36,36′ which come to rest with respectively sloping surfaces 37, 37′against one another are located on the first arms 6, 6′. The stops 36,36 thereby define a minimum possible angle a_(min) between the firstarms 6, 6′ which is about 80° in the exemplary embodiment shown. Thedisplay screen 5 shown by the dashed lines can be aligned towards anobserver located on the right of the recess 3 by swivelling about afirst axis of rotation 29, which is shown by dashed lines. If, as shownin FIG. 8, the stops 36 and 36′ touch one another and the second arms 10and 10′ abut against the rear side of the frame 2, the axis of rotation29 is placed exactly centrally relative to the width of the recess 3 sothat the display screen 5 cannot hit against the frame 2 duringswivelling.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show perspective views of the display screen 5 swivelledinto a further swivel position. FIG. 4 shows a lateral front view of thedisplay screen 5 with the frame 2 and the front part 1 of the door ofthe domestic appliance. FIG. 5 shows the same position of the displayscreen 5 in a rear view of the frame 2 and the frame 5. In the swivelposition of the display screen 5 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the slopingsurfaces 37 and 37′ of the stops 36 and 36′ do not yet touch each other,i.e. the display screen 5 can be swivelled still further in thedirection shown by the arrow until the surfaces 37 and 37′ touch andthus the angle α_(min) between the first arms 6 and 6′ is reached.

In order to hold the display screen 5 in the position set by the user,i.e. to prevent any self-movement of the display screen 5, frictionbrakes 40, 40′ are provided, as can be seen from FIG. 3 or FIG. 5, forexample, which brake a rotary movement of the first arms 6 and 6′ andthe display screen 5 about the first axis of rotation 29. FIG. 9 shows asection through the left friction brake 40′. However, the right frictionbrake 40 has the same structure. The friction brake 40′ comprises twobrake disks 41 and 42 which are mounted on a pin part 43 of a screw 44connected to the stop 36′. The pin part 43 is guided in a groove 46 ofthe lower flange 23 of the mounting plate 20 as shown in FIG. 3. A firstbrake disk 41 is arranged between the stop 36′ and the lower flange 23of the mounting plate 20. A second brake disk 42 is located between thelower flange 23 and the head part 45 of the screw 44. A spring element47 is arranged between the head part 45 of the screw 44 and the secondbrake disk 42. This has the effect that the lower flange 23 is clampedby the brake disks 41 and 42. Thus, a rotary movement of the first arm6′ about the first axis of rotation 29 is braked by a friction forceacting between the contact surfaces of the brake disks 41 and 42 and thelower flange 29. Likewise, the rotary movement of the first arm 6 andthe display screen 5 about the first axis of rotation 29 is braked bythe friction brake 40. The cohesive friction acting between the brakedisks 41 and 42 and the lower flange 23 must first be overcome to adjustthe position of the display screen 5. This prevents the display screen 5from moving by itself from the position set by the user. In addition,the first hinge 29, the second hinges 30, 30′ and the third hinges 32,32′ possess a defined friction which also has the effect that thedisplay screen 5 in each case stays in the position in which the userreleases it. The friction torque which counteracts any swivelling of thedisplay screen 5 can be set by adjusting the screw 44 so that a user canpull on a lateral edge of the display screen 5 to swivel it about theaxis 29 but the arms 6, 6′, 10, 10′ remain at rest as long as the limitof the swivelling freedom of movement of the display screen 5 is notreached.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate a second embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 10 shows a rear view of a frame 2 with a display screen 5 which islocated in a flush position in a recess 3 of the frame 2. FIG. 11 showsthe display screen 5 and the frame 2 in a horizontal sectional view. Inthis case, the display screen 5 is shown in a position displaced fromthe recess 3 by a translational movement and in a swivelled positionshown by dashed lines. In agreement with the embodiment described inFIGS. 1 to 9, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 the firstarms 6, 6′ are connected to the display screen 5 by means of a firsthinge 27 so that they can rotate about a first common axis of rotation29. However, the first arms 6, 6′ are not embodied as plates but as rods6, 6′ preferably having an out-of-round profile. The rods 6, 6′ are eachguided in through holes 50, 50′ of shafts 51, 51′ so that they ca bedisplaced in their longitudinal direction. The shafts 51, 51′ themselvesare rotatably mounted on holders 52, 52′ affixed to the rear side of theframe 2. The shafts 51, 51′ can rotate about vertical axes of rotation53, 53′.

As shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 11, the display screen 5 can bemoved from its flush position in the recess 3 over the recess 3 bypulling. In this case, the first arms 6, 6′ are displaced inside thethrough holes 50, 50′ and the shafts 51, 51′ are turned about their axesof rotation 53, 53′. The first axis of rotation 29 is moved over therecess 3 so that it is now possible to swivel the display screen 5 aboutthe first axis of rotation 29 and, as shown by the dashed lines in FIG.11, to pull it out until the minimum angle a_(min) between the firstarms 6 and 6′ and thus one of the possible end positions of the displayscreen 5 is reached. Suitable stops, not shown, define the possible endpositions of the display screen 5. Friction brakes not shown prevent thedisplay screen 5 from becoming released by itself from the position setby the user. In this case, the friction brakes can be configured in thesame way as those in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 9, adaptationsbeing required to the different structure. Alternatively, a definedfriction can also be provided between the through holes 50, 50′ of theshafts 51, 51′ and the first arms 6, 6′ guided therein.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A domestic appliance comprising a housing, a recessin the housing and a display screen which can be swiveled relative tothe housing and is disposed in a recess in the housing in a flushposition, wherein at least one axis of rotation on which the displayscreen is suspended can be moved between a position in which it holdsthe display screen in the flush position and an extended position itwhich it extends in front of the recess and the display screen canrotate about the axis of rotation.
 22. The domestic appliance accordingto claim 21, wherein the domestic appliance comprises a first pair ofarms to which the display screen is connected on its rear side so thatit can rotate about the at least one first axis of rotation, wherein thefirst arms can be extended from a splayed configuration in the flushposition of the display screen into an angular configuration in whichthe at least one first axis of rotation is located in the extendedposition.
 23. The domestic appliance according to claim 22, furthercomprising a pair of second arms, wherein each of the two second arms isconnected in an articulated fashion to respectively one of the firstarms and a position of the domestic appliance adjacent to the recess.24. The domestic appliance according to claim 22, wherein the first armsand the second arms are embodied as plates.
 25. The domestic applianceaccording to claim 22, wherein the first arms each have substantiallythe same length and the second arms each have substantially the samelength.
 26. The domestic appliance according to claim 22, wherein thefirst arms are mounted such that they can each be displaced in theirlongitudinal direction on a shaft, which is disposed rotatably on thedomestic appliance at a position adjacent to the recess.
 27. Thedomestic appliance according to claim 22, wherein in the splayedconfiguration, the first arms enclose an angle of about 150° to about180°.
 28. The domestic appliance according to claim 22, wherein thedisplay screen is connected jointly to the two first arms by means of afirst axis of rotation.
 29. The domestic appliance according to claim28, wherein the first axis of rotation is centrally arranged withrespect to the width of the display screen.
 30. The domestic applianceaccording to claim 21, wherein the display screen has no freedom ofswiveling movement in its flush position in the recess.
 31. The domesticappliance according to claim 21, wherein the first and second arms canrotate about axes of rotation, which run parallel to one another. 32.The domestic appliance according to claim 31, wherein the axes ofrotation extend vertically.
 33. The domestic appliance according toclaim 21, further comprising stops which are arranged so that they faceone another on the first arms and come to abut against one another inthe angular configuration of the first arms.
 34. The domestic applianceaccording to claim 33, wherein the stops each have sloping surfaceswhich abut against one another in the angular configuration of the firstarms.
 35. The domestic appliance according to claim 22, wherein arotating movement of at least one of the first arms and the displayscreen about the first axis of rotation is braked by at least onefriction brake.
 36. The domestic appliance according to claim 35,wherein the at least one friction brake comprises brake disks mounted ona pin of the first arms which clamp a flange of the display screenperpendicular to a first axis of rotation.
 37. The domestic applianceaccording to claim 36, wherein the pin is guided in a groove of theflange.
 38. The domestic appliance according to claim 21, wherein a partof the housing of the domestic appliance is formed by a frame which isdetachably fixed to the domestic appliance in which the recess for thedisplay screen is located and on the rear side of which at least one ofthe second arms being affixed in an articulated fashion and the shaftsbeing rotatably affixed.
 39. The domestic appliance according to claim38, wherein the frame is affixed to a door of the domestic appliancewhich serves to close or open the domestic appliance.
 40. The domesticappliance according to claim 21, wherein the domestic appliance includesa refrigerator.